Coded Anti-Piracy
Encyclopedia
Coded Anti-Piracy is an anti-copyright infringement
technology which marks each film print of a motion picture with a distinguishing patterns of dots, used as a forensic identifier
to identify the source of illegal copies.
They are not to be confused with cue mark
s, which are black or white circles usually in the upper right-hand corner of the frame. A cue mark is used to signal the projectionist that a particular reel of a film is ending, as most films come to theaters on several reels of celluloid.
The dots are arranged in a unique pattern as identification of the particular print of a movie, and are added during manufacture. The marks are not present on the original film negative; they are produced either by physical imprint on the final film print or by digitally postprocessing a digitally-distributed film. This enables codes to be customized on a per-copy basis so that they can be used to trace the print to the theaters that played that particular print and to trace any bootleg
copies however they were made – be they telecined
, cammed
, or telesync
ed.
along with the Motion Picture Association of America
, is a series of very small dots printed in the picture area of a film print.
The original incarnation of CAP developed by Kodak is a technology for watermark
ing film prints to trace copies of a print, whether legal or not.
d to videotape
or DVD
.
Deluxe's version has been given the pejorative
name of "crap code" by filmgoers. The term "crap code" was coined on a movie projectionists' discussion forum, due to its quite intrusive nature when viewing. These dots are usually placed on bright areas of a film frame, so they can be more easily identified, and are a reddish-brown color.
in 2006 and commercially available in 2008.
The Digital Cinema System Specification by Digital Cinema Initiatives
mandates forensic marking of digital film; CineFence is the first marking system that complies with this standard.
CineFence claims to be imperceptible to the viewer, but robust to copying and encoding, and encodes 35 bits/5 minutes.
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
technology which marks each film print of a motion picture with a distinguishing patterns of dots, used as a forensic identifier
Forensic identification
Forensic identification is the application of forensic science, or "forensics", and technology to identify specific objects from the trace evidence they leave, often at a crime scene or the scene of an accident. Forensic means "for the courts"....
to identify the source of illegal copies.
They are not to be confused with cue mark
Cue mark
A cue mark, also known as a cue dot, a changeover cue or simply a cue is a visual indicator used with motion picture film prints, usually placed on the right-hand upper corner of a frame of the film...
s, which are black or white circles usually in the upper right-hand corner of the frame. A cue mark is used to signal the projectionist that a particular reel of a film is ending, as most films come to theaters on several reels of celluloid.
CAP code
CAP coding is a multi-dot pattern that is printed in several frames of a film print of a theatrically exhibited motion picture. It is sometimes accompanied by text code printed on the edge of a motion picture print, outside the visible picture area.The dots are arranged in a unique pattern as identification of the particular print of a movie, and are added during manufacture. The marks are not present on the original film negative; they are produced either by physical imprint on the final film print or by digitally postprocessing a digitally-distributed film. This enables codes to be customized on a per-copy basis so that they can be used to trace the print to the theaters that played that particular print and to trace any bootleg
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
copies however they were made – be they telecined
Telecine (piracy)
The term telecine refers both to a film-to-tape transferring machine, as well as the process by which film is transferred to tape...
, cammed
Cam (bootleg)
A cam is a bootleg recording of a film. Unlike the more common DVD rip or screener recording methods which involve the duplication of officially distributed media, cam versions are original clandestine recordings made in movie theaters.Typically, the person filming the movie will smuggle a compact...
, or telesync
Telesync
A telesync is a bootleg recording of a film recorded in a movie theater, often with a professional camera on a tripod in the projection booth , with a direct connection to the sound source...
ed.
Kodak's CAP
The original style of CAP code, developed in 1982 by Eastman KodakEastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
along with the Motion Picture Association of America
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
, is a series of very small dots printed in the picture area of a film print.
The original incarnation of CAP developed by Kodak is a technology for watermark
Watermark
A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light , caused by thickness or density variations in the paper...
ing film prints to trace copies of a print, whether legal or not.
Deluxe's CAP
A newer, and more common variation, has been developed by Deluxe Laboratories. It makes use of more visible dots, and was developed to thwart film piracy from theatergoers with camcorders, or prints that have been illicitly telecineTelecine
Telecine is transferring motion picture film into video and is performed in a color suite. The term is also used to refer to the equipment used in the post-production process....
d to videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
or DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
Deluxe's version has been given the pejorative
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
name of "crap code" by filmgoers. The term "crap code" was coined on a movie projectionists' discussion forum, due to its quite intrusive nature when viewing. These dots are usually placed on bright areas of a film frame, so they can be more easily identified, and are a reddish-brown color.
CineFence
A different marking system is CineFence, introduced by PhilipsPhilips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
in 2006 and commercially available in 2008.
The Digital Cinema System Specification by Digital Cinema Initiatives
Digital Cinema Initiatives
Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC or DCI is a joint venture of major motion picture studios, formed to establish a standard architecture for digital cinema systems.The organization was formed in March 2002 by the following studios:* Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
mandates forensic marking of digital film; CineFence is the first marking system that complies with this standard.
CineFence claims to be imperceptible to the viewer, but robust to copying and encoding, and encodes 35 bits/5 minutes.
See also
- Anti-piracyAnti-piracyAnti-piracy is a term used to describe countermeasures against maritime piracy but moreoften by some to describe the attempt to prevent copyright infringement, counterfeiting, and other violations of intellectual-property rights....
- Cue markCue markA cue mark, also known as a cue dot, a changeover cue or simply a cue is a visual indicator used with motion picture film prints, usually placed on the right-hand upper corner of a frame of the film...
- EURion constellationEURion constellationThe EURion constellation is a pattern of symbols found on a number of banknote designs worldwide since about 1996. It is added to help software detect the presence of a banknote in a digital image. Such software can then block the user from reproducing banknotes to prevent counterfeiting using...
- Printer steganographyPrinter steganographyPrinter steganography is a type of steganography produced by color printers, including Brother, Canon, Dell, Epson, HP, IBM, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Lanier, Lexmark, Ricoh, Toshiba and Xerox brand color laser printers, where tiny yellow dots are added to each page...